At least 16 court rulings mentioning drop accounts or so-called “money mules” have been identified in Ukraine over the past nearly eight years, with drop accounts used in schemes related to drug trafficking in 81% of cases.
This is according to a study by OpenDataBot, published on October 2, 2026, based on data from the “Babusia” court registry search engine as of mid-September.
“Drops” are people who, in exchange for compensation, provide third parties with their bank cards, accounts, or access to online banking. Such accounts can be used to transfer, receive, and subsequently launder funds in various criminal schemes.
According to the study, in 13 of the 16 convictions identified—or 81%—drop accounts were part of schemes related to drug trafficking. Another three convictions—or 19%—involved online fraud.
At the same time, OpenDataBot emphasizes that the mere mention of a “drop account” in a court ruling does not necessarily mean that the bank account holder was convicted specifically for granting access to it. In some cases, drop accounts were merely one element of a larger criminal scheme, while the convicted individuals performed other roles.
Three such convictions have already been identified in 2026. The highest number occurred in 2020—eight. Two rulings were found for both 2019 and 2021, and one more for 2023. No convictions involving such schemes were found in the search engine for 2024 and 2025.
In 12 of the 16 convictions, or 75%, the primary punishment was imprisonment. Sentences ranged from two to ten years. At the same time, in eight cases, the convicted individuals were granted probation.
In four additional verdicts, the primary punishment was a fine. The specific amounts of the fines were specified in six court decisions and ranged from 98,600 UAH to 850,000 UAH.
Kyiv accounted for the largest number of verdicts mentioning “drops”—10 rulings, or 63% of the total. Two more verdicts were handed down in the Odesa region, and one each in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zakarpattia, Kyiv, and Mykolaiv regions.
In some cases, significant amounts of compensation were awarded to the victims. In one ruling, the court ordered 8.65 million UAH in compensation, of which 6.65 million UAH was for material damages and 2 million UAH was for emotional distress.
In two other cases, the defendants voluntarily compensated the victims a total of 42,100 UAH. In two additional rulings, the courts ordered the defendants to pay a total of 29,800 UAH in litigation costs.
Amid the spread of schemes involving the use of other people’s bank accounts, Ukraine is preparing to establish a separate criminal offense for “dropping.” On September 15, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis Bill No. 16013 on the protection of citizens and their funds from illegal actions involving payment instruments and bank accounts. The bill is being prepared for its second reading.
Source: OpenDataBot – study “In 81% of convictions, ‘dopers’ were part of schemes related to drug trafficking” dated October 2, 2026.
